Boxes



June 7, 1966 H. E. LANG 3,254,824

BOXES Filed May 14. 1964 Inventor Harlan E Lang By his Attorney United States Patent 3,254,824 BOXES Harlan E. Lang, Peabody, Mass, assignor to Hoague- Sprague Corporation, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 14, 1964, Ser. No. 367,467 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-34) The invention relates generally to boxes formed from foldable fiat blanks of cardboard or the like. More particularly the invention is directed to the provision of a removable tag in such boxes.

It has been found advantageous for inventory control or similar purposes to provide removable tags on boxes.

I Such tags commonly are afiixed to the outside of boxes In some cases or inserted in pockets formed therein. where boxes are provided with cover paper the tag is formed by serrated lines in the cover paper so the tag may be torn therefrom. Such methods of providing a removable tag generally involve additional expense due to the additional operations that must be performed on the blank for the boxes.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the invention to provide a box of usual construction having a removable tag formed in one end thereof without adding substantially to the cost of the box. According to one feature, at least one end wing of the box is provided with score lines which define the removable tag. Theside wings of the box are provided with corner lap extensions which are folded inside and secured to the inside face of the end wing when the box is formed. The portions of the extensions underlying the score lines defining the tag are not secured to the end wing so the tag may be removed by tearing along the score lines.

Another feature provides for the side edges of the tag to be defined both by continuous score lines cut in the outer surface of the box but only part way through the thickness of the box material and by non-continuous score lines which cut entirely through the box thickness to sufiiciently weaken the material so the tag may be torn therefrom. The continuous score lines ensure smooth edges on the tag when torn from the box end.

The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings,

FIG. l is a perspective view of a blank of cardboard or the like from which is formed a box embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one end of the box showing the box partially formed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one end of the box fully formed;

FIG. 4- is a view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating the method of removing the tag; and

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the box.

Referring-to FIG. 1 there is shown a blank B from which a box is to be formed. The blank includes a bottom portion to which is foldably connected side wings 16 along fold lines 17. The side wings at opposite ends have foldably connected thereto along fold lines 21 corner laps 18 and 20. At opposite ends of the bottom portion 10 there are connected end wings 12 and 14 'T defined by score lines cut in the end wing.

along fold lines 13. As seen in FIG. 2, the side wings 16 are folded upwardly to form the sides of the box and the corner laps 20 are folded inwardly to form an inner wall of one end of the box. Thereafter as seen in FIG. 3, the end wing 14 is folded upwardly outside the corner laps 20 and an end wing extension 24 is folded inwardly and downwardly over the corner laps to complete formation of one end of the box. According to the usual con struction, the inside surface of the end wing 14 is coated with adhesive so that as it is folded upwardly the corner laps are secured thereto.

The end wing 14 has provided therein a removable tag Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it may be seen that one end of the tage is formed by a U-shaped score line 30 which is cut entirely through the thickness of the end wing 14. The opposite end of the tag is defined by a score line 32 also cut entirely through the thickness of the box material. The side edges of the tag extending between the U-shaped cut 30 and the end cut 32 are defined by score lines 36 Which are cut only part way through the thickness of the box material as may be seen by a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3. The tag is further defined by a pair of parallel non-continuous score lines 38 which are also cut entirely through the thickness of the box material and are arranged inwardly of the score lines 36. The corner laps 20 are each provided with cut-out portions 40 which are arranged when the corner laps are folded inside the end wing to underlie the tag T defined by the score lines. Thus, while the end wing 14 is adhesively secured to the corner laps 20 it may be seen that the portion of the end wing which includes the tag T is substantially unsecured except for the uncut lands in the score lines 38 since the cut-out portions 40 underlie the tag, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

To remove the tag T-from the end wing 14 the end of the tag defined by the U-shaped cut 30 is pressed outwardly using the cut-out portion 40 of one of the corner laps. This enables the end of the tag to be grasped and torn easily from the end wing 14 along the non-continuous score lines 38 at least part way through the thickness of the box. Adjacent the outward surface of the tag, however, the box material tends to delaminate and tear raggedly whereupon the tag will thereafter be separated from the end wing along the score lines 36. In this manner, the side edges of the tag will usually be smooth and of'uniform size as defined by the score lines 36.

It should be understood that the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein. However, it is within the scope of the invention to provide means of attaching the end wing of the box to the corner lap other than by use of adhesive. It is also within the scope of the invention rather than to provide cut-out portions in the corner laps, to provide that the portions of the end wing which defines the tag be without adhesive securement so that the tag may be easily removed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A box of cardboard or the like having a removable tag formed in at least one of its ends, said box including side wings and end wings forming, respectively, the sides and ends of the box, at least one of said end wings having as an integral part thereof a removable tag, one end of the tag being defined by a cut extending through the thickness of said end wings, the other end and a portion of adjacent side edges of the tag being defined by a U-shaped cut extending through said thickness, the remainder of said side edges between said cuts being defined by continuous score lines cut through the outer surface and partially through said thickness, said end Wing also being provided with non-continuous cuts through said thickness and along lines spaced inwardly of the edges of said tag, said side wings being provided with corner laps folded across and adhesively attached to the inside surface of the end wing having said tag, the corner laps being provided with cut-out portions underlying the defined tag.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,940,183 12/1933 Petersen 229--52 2,180,682 11/1939 Lapara 22952 2,885,137 5/1959 Guyer 22932 FOREIGN PATENTS 324,554 1/1930 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LE CLAIR, Primary Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

